Generative AI: the latest threat to human creativity

By: Lex Bowen

An unnaturally repetitive sentence. An uncomfortably smooth image. A subtle fallacy in logic. 

Posts made by Artificial Intelligence have begun to clog up timelines and for-you pages. Every piece of art or story posted online seems to be met with increasing skepticism and suspicion. Artists, authors, musicians, and photographers are left floundering as they search desperately for ways to deter AI from stealing their work for the purpose of soulless reproduction. As generative AI grows in availability and popularity, artists can’t help but wonder: Is AI poisoning creative spaces?

In response to the increased popularity of Generative AI and its creative abilities, anti-AI advocates have argued vehemently against its use for artistic purposes. No one can deny that there is something ever so slightly sinister about the impressive new abilities of AI. But many people don’t see the harm in generative AI. 

After all, it's not like it's hurting anyone… 

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The truth is, generative AI is harmful for a number of reasons. The environmental impact of generative AI has been thoroughly explored, and the universal conclusion seems to be that the carbon footprint AI leaves behind could have detrimental effects on the environment. The high electricity demand of AI has led to a spike in carbon dioxide emissions, one of the many causes of a global rise in temperature. An article from MIT News reports that from 2022 and 2023, the amount of power required to run data centers in North America doubled, mostly thanks to the demands of generative AI. Another reported issue with AI is the water consumption required to cool electrical components used in its production and implementation. Studies conducted by various researchers and institutions, including researchers at the United Nations Environmental Program, seem to be fairly conclusive about the numerous potential pitfalls of generative AI.

The harmful impacts of Generative AI extend far beyond the physical world, reaching into the convoluted world of ethics. Artificial intelligence is trained off of preexisting content within online spaces. Many AI systems are set loose on the internet to gather as much information and content as possible, noting  patterns and information to later regurgitate when prompted. Since generative AI is trained on the work of thousands of artists, without the permission of those artists, many believe that generative AI is a form of art theft.

​Advice columnist Reece Rogers, from the popular tech magazine WIRED, goes so far as to claim that at present, there is no truly ethical form of generative AI in existence. Since there is no way to restrict the ways in which generative AI is being used, and no way to survey its use without violating privacy laws, it becomes a highly volatile and potentially harmful resource when made available for use by the general public. 

The lack of control over what AI is being used for leads to issues in school environments, where AI can shift from a helpful tool to a harmful crutch. As the capabilities of AI continue to stir up controversy in artistic communities, teachers and scholars express growing concerns about its presence in academic spaces. For the last few years, the rapid development of AI has been muddling the waters of academic integrity, making it more difficult for teachers to assess a student's true skill level.

Glenelg English teacher Elissa Masiel said that she catches students using AI to cheat on writing assignments almost every day. While Maisel said she wishes she could claim that it is always easy to identify students who are using AI to complete their assignments, she recognizes that it’s highly possible some have slipped through the cracks. Maisel expressed her concern about the potential impacts of AI usage on student development. In the last few  years she has noticed that the ability of her students to use their critical thinking skills and develop a cohesive argument correlates heavily with whether they rely on Artificial intelligence to assist them on writing assignments. 

“They sometimes struggle to even have a thought on their own – they get so addicted to that easy access to knowledge,” Maisel said.

While the arguments are certainly true of academic spaces, they also circle back, as most things regarding AI do, to the integrity of creative spaces. For centuries, artisans have been held in high regard around the world for their masterful skills and practiced handiwork. Lately, however, the once noble and well respected career path has sunk to the ranks of careers that many believe are dying out.

The term “starving artist” was coined roughly 200 years ago, and the belief that a career in the arts is a near pointless endeavor has since become more commonplace in today's society. Whether this is actually true, it is a notion that crushes the dreams of many aspiring artisans, and one that is exacerbated by the encroachment of generative AI in artistic communities. The widespread acceptance of generative AI as a viable tool, or rather, a viable replacement for human creativity poses a major threat to the artistic community, slamming the door on dozens of potential career paths, stifling the passion and motivation of young and aspiring artists, and discouraging more creatively inclined individuals from pursuing their dreams. 

As an artist and writer, I possess many undeniable biases in regards to my thoughts on generative AI, but thanks to my own personal experiences, I can speak to the disappointment and discouragement generative AI places on the shoulders of young artists. The idea that in ten years, the skills I have worked to improve and perfect for my entire life will be obsolete, and my potential employment opportunities filled in by soulless, mindless machines is disheartening, to say the least.

It is easy to allow a more nihilistic life view to creep up on us, especially in this day and age. But it is important to remember that there are some things that machines will never be able to truly replicate. Whether you are more creatively or more academically inclined, your unique world-view and experiences make you inherently valuable. Your actions, words, and opinions are all powerful tools you can use to influence the world around you. No matter how advanced generative AI has become, it will always lack the inherent humanity that makes art so compelling to others. Art, music, poetry, literature, film, photography, fashion, and theater are all driven by our experiences and imperfections as human beings. 

Generative AI, despite its convenience and ubiquity, can never take that away.